Improvement in bale-band tighteners



Patented March 7,1876.

ATTORNE S.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE?" JOHN L. SHEPPARD, OF CHARLESTON, SOUTHCAROLINA.

IMPROVEMENT m BALE-BAND TIGHVTENERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 174,580, dated March 7,1876; application filed I i l February 19, 1876. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN L. SHEPPARD, of the city and county ofCharleston and State of South Carolina, have invented a new and ImprovedBale-Band Tightener; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to improved means or devices for applying bands orhoops to bales of cotton, hay, straw, &c., the same consisting, mainly,of a bent or angular lever pivoted to the top portion of thebaling-press, and provided with a pivoted arm, carrying tongs or clampsfor holding one end of the band,

' and drawing it firmly around the bale into position for the other orfree end (which is held meanwhile by any suitable fastening) to beattached to the buckle in the usual manner.

The invention further relates to constructing the under side of the bedof the press with an open channel, through which the clamping device isinserted to connect with the band.

The invention further relates to the form and arrangement of spring andfriction plates to co-operate with the clamp and facilitate itsoperation, as'hereinafter fully described.

In the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a front view of a portion of a baling-press, showing the tighteningdevice in the position it occupies when holding the band strained aroundthe bale; Fig. 2, a sectional elevation, showing the tightening devicein two positions, as per full and dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a plan view ofthe lever-arm and jaws, the dotted lines representing the latter heldopen by the eccentric.

TheleverAis bent at a slightly obtuse angle, and its short arm a madesector-shaped to adapt it to operate as hereinafter specified. The leveris pivoted at the inner angle of arm a to a bracket, 0, projecting fromthe front of the press D. An arm, E, is pivoted to the lever near itsangle, and clamping bars or jaws F F are pivoted to said arm E, andproject beyond its free end, as shown, Figs. 1 and 3. An eccentric orcam-lever is also pivoted to arm E, between clamp-bars F F, for use inseparating them, as will be hereinafter explained. This arm E worksthrough the openbottomed channelG in the bed of the press, andplate-springs H are secured to lateral flanges 11 formed on the bottomedges of said channel, and bent downward at their raised free endstoassist the lever A in changing the position of arm E from a horizontalto a vertical. The free ends of the springs are likewise provided withlateral extensions 0 to adapt them to be drawn down and held fiat on theflanges b, when it is desired to insert arm E in the channel G. I I arefrictionplates attached to the front of the press-box, and extendingdownward over the front side of the bale.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The bale having beenpressed into suitable shape, and the platen or follower being heldstationary, the free end of lever A is drawn upward, andthe band Kpassed through the opening formed between the closed jaws F F, andthence through the channel G, so that it next appears below or on the!rear side of the bale. Being now pulled as tight as possible, itnaturally operates to draw the arm E into channel G, as shown in Fig. 2,since the buckle is two large to permit it to pass through the openingbetween the jaws F. This pull from below having also taken up all theslack in the band, the wedge M is inserted, as shown in Fig. 2, to holdthe free end of the band by frictional contact with the bale. The leveris next raised to drawthe buckle and the band out of the channel G,which being effected, the springs H rise and prevent arm E againentering the channel, the parts being then in the position shown bydotted lines in Fig. 2. The lever is then depressed, thus causing thefree end of arm E to slide downward on the friction-pl ates I, carryingthe buckle and attached band with it, till the lever reaches theposition shown in Fig. 1, when it looks itself, and requires no furtherattentionfrom the operator, who then secures the end g of the band tothe buckle in the usual way. The operation is then complete, and theeccentric being turned, it separates the jaws F F and releases theirhold on the band. The form of the head or arm a of lever A enables it toact against the arm E and throw its free end out of the channel G, andthus relieve the springs H of friction with the buckle sufficiently toallow the springs to rise and obstrlict the mouth or entrance of thechannel, as before described. 7

The friction-plates maybe hinged, if preferrod; and I do not propose tolimit myself to the use of a wedge for holding the free end of the band.Any other suitable fastening may be employed.

By this improved apparatus ,time and labor are economized in theoperation of handing or hooping cotton and other bales.

What I claim is 1. In combination with a press-box, having channel G inits bed, the lever A, and the arm E, pivoted thereto and carryingband-clamping jaws, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with lever A, arm E, and jaws F F, of springsarranged within the channel G, and bent downward at their free outerends, as shown and described.

3. The friction-plates I I, extending downward on the front of thepress-box to facilitate the movement of the band-tightening device, asset forth.

4. The lever A, bent at an obtuse angle, and pivoted to bracket (J, asshown, and the bandclamping device pivoted thereto, near said angle,said parts beingcombined and arranged on the side of the press-box, asset forth, Whereby the lever is adapted for self-locking to hold theband.

JOHN L. SHEPPARD.

Witnesses:

JULIUS A. BLAKE, P. A. CHASE.

